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Shrimp Ceviche from Ecuador

Authentic Citrus Marinated Shrimp

Bring the flavors of Ecuador into your kitchen with this shrimp ceviche recipe. Here, the shrimp are marinated in a fresh, citrusy mix of GOYA® Naranja Agria (Bitter Orange Marinade), lime juice, and tomato sauce, with Latin seasonings. Ceviche is such a sought-after dish in South America that, in many countries, including Ecuador, you'll find restaurants called "cevicherias" that specialize in this bright tasting dish. Ceviche originated in colonial times. Today shrimp ceviche is served everywhere as an elegant appetizer or light, healthy lunch.

Ceviche is an extremely popular way to prepare fresh fish all over South America, Central America and the Caribbean. This cooking technique involves marinating pieces of fresh fish in the juice of citrus fruit (like limes, lemons, oranges and grapefruit). As the fish marinates, the citric acid found in the fruit juice has a chemical effect on the fish’s flesh, altering the structure of its protein. The flesh turns opaque and firm, as if it had been cooked with heat.

When making ceviche, cut fish into 1” pieces, or smaller, to expose the maximum surface area of the fish to the citrus juice, and be sure the fish is submerged in the liquid. Allow the fish to marinate at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours. You know the fish is “cooked” when it is opaque to its center.

Some fish that work well for ceviche are as follows: firm white fish, like tilapia, sea bass, halibut and snapper; fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel and tuna; shellfish, like shrimp, crab and lobster; and mollusks like conch, clams, mussels, squid and octopus.